[Vision2020] How's this for hypocrisy . . .

Wed Jul 2 14:52:35 PDT 2014

Oh give it up already.  It's not even close to 'an excellent example of hypocrisy'.  At best it's a reach that can be applied to just about anyone.  And if everyone is a hypocrite to some extent then it doesn't really matter a whole heck of a lot.

Also, what specifically is the greed factor in play here?  HL offers a 401k to their employees ergo the Green's are greedy even though they aren't profiting off of the 401k returns of their employees?  Doesn't fly.  Doesn't even come close to flying.

As for HL possibly covering emergency contraception prior to ACA, that may very well be the case.  And perhaps the Green's weren't even aware of this and it was the ACA mandate that prompted them to take hard line against it once that knowledge became available to them.  And maybe now that it's been brought to light that the 401k plans invest in things that they might find objectionable, maybe they'll object to that as well.  This ought to make you and Tom happy...right?  Or are you both just being hypocritical by railing against them for so far not meddling with their employees 401k plan?

From: v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2014 11:45:34 -0700
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] How's this for hypocrisy . . .

Actually, it’s an excellent example of hypocrisy when one applies common accepted definitions. Let’s look at this definition:“a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.” It’s a pretty shallow “sincerely held” religious belief that is trumped by financial greed. Although, I do agree that the article is apparently wrong about the “any contraception” part.  However, I’ve also read from several different sources that HL’s health insurance did, in fact – and with no objection from HL – cover emergency contraception (and perhaps IUDs, according to some sources) prior to the ACA.  If true, that makes the hypocrisy even more rank and ups the ante by introducing pathetic stunting for pure political (rather than religious) purposes, it seems to me.   From: Scott Dredge [mailto:scooterd408 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2014 6:15 PM
To: Saundra Lund; 'Tom Hansen'; viz
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] How's this for hypocrisy . . . It's not a very good example for hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy in essence is engaging in behavior that you tell others not to behave in.  Hypocrisy for the Greens would be using plan B and IUDs themselves while fighting to disallow its use by others.

Aside from that, the below article states 'The company refuses to cover any contraception methods for its employees' which is untrue.  Hobby Lobby's insurance plan covers 16 out of 20 types of birth control. From: v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm
To: thansen at moscow.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2014 16:14:36 -0700
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] How's this for hypocrisy . . .Tom, I find nothing surprising about this religious hypocrisy because sadly, so-called “sincerely held” religious beliefs that have a long history of being used to oppress and punish those who don’t share those beliefs have an equally long history of being oh, so conveniently & blatantly disregarded when it comes to lining their own financial pockets. In my book, that elevates ordinary hypocrisy to rank hypocrisy status, and while they may have been successful at pulling the wool over SCOTUS’s eyes, it doesn’t fool God or any of the rest of us with connected brain cells.  Saundra From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2014 3:35 PM
To: Moscow Vision 2020
Subject: [Vision2020] How's this for hypocrisy . . . Courtesy of KDVR-31 (Denver, Colorado) at: ------------------------------------ Hobby Lobby 401K plan invests in firms that make contraceptivesNEW YORK — Hobby Lobby is a craft store chain that says it operates “in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.” Those values extend throughout its business, except when it comes to the company’s retirement plan.The company refuses to cover any contraception methods for its employees. Hobby Lobby fought the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that businesses pay for birth control all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won this week.“It’s been a long journey, but an important one for our family and for those who wish to be guided in all areas of life, including their businesses by faith and conscience,” Hobby Lobby co-founder Barbara Green said in astatement on YouTube after the ruling.Hobby Lobby’s founders have made it clear that any form of contraception is unacceptable in their eyes, yet the company’s 401(k) plan has millions of dollars invested in funds that own companies which make birth control pills and Plan B, the so-called “morning after” drug that some equate to abortion.Like many companies, Hobby Lobby offers its employees a 401(k) plan. Over 13,000 past and present employees have taken advantage of that plan, according to the latest documents filed with the Department of Labor.Employees have the option to put their retirement dollars — and the money that Hobby Lobby contributes on their behalf — into over a dozen different mutual funds.At least six of those funds have been invested in companies that produce birth control such as Teva Pharmaceutical, Bayer, and Pfizer, according to an analysis. Teva makes Plan B. One of the funds also held Forest Laboratories, which makes a drug that is used to induce abortions.These are huge drug companies that make many different medications. Contraceptives are only part of the mix.Hobby Lobby has not responded to requests for comment about its retirement plan.Mother Jones broke the story about the company’s 401K plan in April.How Hobby Lobby can avoid investing in birth control: There are ways Hobby Lobby could strip out investments dealing with contraceptives.For example, an investment management firm called Ave Maria Funds offers a “Catholic Values” fund that “screens out two major categories of companies: those involved with abortion and those judged to be anti-family, such as companies which distribute pornographic materials or whose policies undermine the Sacrament of Marriage.”The most recent information available on Hobby Lobby’s retirement funds comes from a 2012 filing with the Department of Labor. At that time, Hobby Lobby used American Funds, T. Rowe Price and Vanguard to manage its money.Another option for the company would be to ask its providers such as Vanguard to create a custom portfolio, sometimes dubbed a “separately managed account.” This would essentially put Hobby Lobby’s funds into their own bucket and give the company more control to forbid investments in firms like Teva.That said, any time you ask for something special, it often costs more.“While it would be possible to create some kind of custom portfolio, I don’t know that that would be feasible in 401(k)-type account given the costs involved. It’s probably doable, but expensive,” says David Blanchett, the head of retirement research for Morningstar Investment Management.Figuring out what companies are acceptable and which ones are not is also tricky. Most of the funds Hobby Lobby offers employees are “actively managed,” meaning someone is picking stocks and likely moving them in and out of the portfolio regularly.While Teva and Pfizer might be off-limits, what about a company like Aetna that is a health care insurer, but puts Plan B on its preferred drug list? Or a hospital owner like Tenet or HCA that might prescribe birth control in their urgent care or emergency rooms?------------------------------------Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . ."Moscow Cares"http://www.MoscowCares.com  Tom HansenMoscow, Idaho 
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